Microsoft Lost $900 Million Last Quarter From Surface RT

Microsoft has released its latest earnings report for the last quarter which has missed analyst’s expectation.

The most prominent thing in the whole of it is the fact that the company has lost a mind-blowing $900 million from the failure of Windows RT. Up till now, it hadn’t remained a secret that the Surface RT was selling abysmally but the graveness of the situation just couldn’t have been imagined.

In all, Microsoft still managed to churn out a revenue of 19.9 billion dollars which was a bit below analysts’ expectations of 20-odd billion dollars, resulting in the dropping of shares by 4%. This meant a net income of $4.97 billion.

What might be pleasing for some people is that Microsoft actually benefited from Windows Phone division by $222 million. That, however, is most-possibly due to the licensing of patents rather than increase in sales (but you can’t deny that they are increasing).

Also the Business and Entertainment & Devices divisions showed promise thanks to the success of the new Office products and Xbox.

The Windows division, however, also saw the revenues decline, by a distressing $281 million, mainly due to the plunging of the PC, and the fledging of the tablet markets. The poor sales of Windows 8 have also fuelled the loss.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s own performance in the tablet market, the Surface RT has been a failure, from head to toe, mainly due to the lack of apps and the buggy software. Even Microsoft’s recent $150 price drop couldn’t do much to aid the virtually non-present sales.

The time has come for them to realise their mistakes and go back to the drawing board, otherwise, the tablet will go down in history as yet another failed Microsoft product.

Warid Introduces International Prepaid Data Roaming Services

Warid telecom has launched International GPRS /data Roaming services for its Prepaid customers.

Starting with Saudi Arabia and UAE, this international data roaming for prepaid customers is claimed by Warid to be the industry first.

Warid has advised its customers – who carry smartphones – to disconnect Data Connection/Cellular Data option to prevent auto sync, which may result into over billing issues.

As our readers may know, data services while International roaming is not economical at all but this facility by Warid can be handy during the emergency hours. Otherwise, its better to stick with Wi-Fi internet while you are roaming.

How to Subscribe:

• While no security deposit is required to avail this offer but users will have to activate International Data Roaming Service by calling the Helpline 321.

Prices:

Country	Operator	Network Code	Uplink Charges	Downlink Charges	MMS Rates	Charging Interval	Helpline
Saudi Arabia	Etisalat	420-03	$0.002	$0.002	$0.57	10 KB	+96265828100
Saudi Arabia	Al Jawal	420-01	$0.023	$0.023	$6.96	10 KB	+96614555555
Saudi Arabia	Zain	420-04	$0.023	$0.023	$6.96	10 KB	NA
UAE	Du	420-03	$0.001	$0.001	$0.21	1 KB	+971555555177
UAE	Etisalat	420-02	$0.022	$0.022	$6.54	30 KB	+9714004101

Terms and Conditions:

• To get Prepaid International Roaming activated, please call 321.
• No security deposit required.
• Operator specific GPRS usage rates shall apply.
• All applicable taxes would be included in addition to the above rates.
• The tariffs are charged in Pak Rupees when billed. The US$ – Pak Rupee exchange rate applied for each calendar month shall be the open market exchange rate on 23rd day of the preceding month.
• GPRS charges have been calculated using prevailing exchange rates and are subject to change without prior notice.
• Above GPRS charges are shown in 1KB increments. For operator specific charging interval, please refer to the Charging Interval column above.
• For detailed tariffs/peak hour timings of a specific network, contact the Customer Service personnel and the helpline number of the respective operator.
• MMS charges are event based.

Out of all Mini Flagships Which One is the Best?

Out of all major Android manufacturers, only HTC and Samsung have announced more compact versions of their flagships in the HTC One mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 mini. However, the Sony Xperia ZR can also be called a mini version of the Xperia Z since it also has somewhat similar specs and a much more compact design so it is added as well.

Here are the specifications of the three smartphones:

	HTC One Mini	Samsung Galaxy S4 mini	Sony Xperia ZR
Status	Announced	Released	Released
Weight	122g	107g	138g
Thickness	9.3mm	8.9mm	10.5mm
OS (pre-installed)	Android 4.2.2	Android 4.2.2	Android 4.1
Display	4.3 inch	4.3 inch	4.55 inch
Resolution	720 x 1280 pixels	540 x 960 pixels	720 x 1280 pixels
Processor	1.4 Ghz dual-core Krait 300	1.7Ghz dual-core Krait	1.5Ghz quad-core SnapDragon APQ8064
GPU	Adreno 305	Adreno 305	Adreno 320
RAM, storage	1 GB, 16 GB non-expandable	1.5GB, 8GB expandable	2GB, 8GB expandable
Camera (rear)	4 mp Ultrapixel, 1080p video	8 mp, 1080p video	13.1 mp, 1080p video
Camera (front)	1.6mp	1.9mp	VGA
Connectivity	Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, Wifi, optional NFC	Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, Wifi, optional NFC, Infrared,	Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, Wifi, NFC
Battery	1800 mAh	1900 mAh	2300mAh
Price	449 Euros	380 Euros	420 Euros

It’s worth noting that the Xperia ZR is only phone which is water and dust proof. It is, however, the least compact of the trio. Specs-wise, the Galaxy S4 mini is the phone which least qualifies as the genuine mini flagship due to the considerably cut down specs which is a shame but then again, it’s the cheapest.

Our judgement, however, doesn’t matter much in this case as the end user should only look at the specs important to them to come to a final verdict before buying a phone.

Huawei Accused of Spying for China by Former CIA Chief

Former head of NSA and CIA, Michael Hayden has accused Huawei for spying for China, the country where it belongs. He detailed his views in an interview to the Australian Financial Review.

He said that the views were developed when Huawei was trying to make a mark on the American telecommunication market and presented a briefing paper. While it didn’t say anything wrong, it wasn’t enough to convince Hayden to grant Huawei the rights. He said that the burden was now on Huawei to prove that it isn’t on the wrong side.

“God did not make enough briefing slides on Huawei to convince me that having them involved in our critical communications infrastructure was going to be okay.

This is not blind prejudice on my part. This was my considered view based on a four-decade career as an intelligence officer.” Michael Hayden

Huawei, though has called the remarks “defamatory” and has asked for evidences. The company’s global cybersecurity officer, John Suffolk has denied saying: “Huawei meets the communication needs of more than a third of the planet and our customers have the right to know what these unsubstantiated concerns are. It’s time to put up or shut up.”

Security issues haven’t been a new issue for Huawei, as the company has had a long list history of lawsuits regarding it. In only 2012, it was declared by US as a “national security threat” and this latest incident of this line surely isn’t be doing its image any good.

Karzai sets conditions for Pakistan visit

KABUL  – Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday gave a lukewarm response to Pakistan’s invitation to visit Islamabad, setting conditions for any high-level talks designed to mend increasingly frosty relations.

Pakistan on Sunday sent its top diplomat to offer further assistance to Afghanistan’s efforts to reach a deal with Taliban insurgents to end 12 years of war.

Foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz held talks with Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul and met Karzai to deliver in person the invitation from new Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif — already extended twice by telephone.

On Monday the president’s office said Karzai accepted the invitation “in principle”.

But he said a high-ranking delegation could visit Pakistan only when the agenda is specified, initial preparations have been made and a “serious and effective struggle against terrorism and the peace process are on the top of the agenda”.

The West considers Pakistan’s support vital to achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan. But relations between the neighbours are mired in mutual distrust and accusations over Taliban and other Islamist militancy which plagues both countries.

Aziz is the most senior member of Pakistan’s new government to visit Afghanistan at a time when relations between Kabul and Islamabad have been worsening.

International efforts to start talks with the Taliban are in disarray after the disastrous opening of a liaison office for the insurgents in Qatar. A furious Karzai slammed it as an unofficial embassy for a Taliban government-in-exile.

Last week Karzai’s chief of staff, Karim Khorram, claimed the Taliban office was part of a plot to break up Afghanistan, orchestrated by either Pakistan or the United States.

Aziz denied perceptions held by many in Afghanistan that Pakistan controls the Taliban, saying only that “we have some contacts” with the militia.

The scheduled departure next year of around 100,000 US-led foreign troops and Afghan presidential elections in April have lent renewed urgency to the quest for peace.